


Checking In....

by matrixrefugee



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 04:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18613408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matrixrefugee/pseuds/matrixrefugee
Summary: In a happier time, Malcolm and Rebecca share friendly phone messages





	Checking In....

**Author's Note:**

> Written for < lj user="love_bingo">'s "I just called to say I love you". Featuring Malcolm and Rebecca Merlyn, very pre-canon, during a happier time in their life.

He had set his phone on vibrate before the board meeting, but halfway through it, Malcolm felt the device humming against his hip, sound drowned out by the voices of the executive officers around him. A soft sound, a slight irritant for its timing, but a welcome one. Rebecca had a habit of calling him at a particular time each day, a time when her calls would not catch him in a meeting, or busy with a client. But this day, her timing did not jibe with his schedule. He hated to let the call go unanswered, but this time, he did not have that luxury. This particular acquisition meeting brooked no interruption.

The instant that he had a moment free, Malcolm hit Rebecca's number on the speed dial. The call connected, but went right to her voice mail. _"Hello, you've reached the voice mail of Rebecca Merlyn. I can't pick up the phone just now, but if you leave your name and number, I will get back to you._

_"And if it's you calling, Mal, blow me a kiss. I'll know that it's you,"_ her voice replied, knowingly.

He shook his head, smirking, waiting for the tone. "Yes, it's me: I'll give you a kiss if you stop calling me Mal," he said, leaving a message before hitting the off button and closing the phone.

A moment later, he felt it vibrating in his pocket. Likely Rebecca had gotten his message and she was calling back. He let it ring twice before taking the phone out and opening it.

"Hello? Malcolm Merlyn speaking," he asked, pretending not to know who had called him.

_"You keep stringing me along like this, I'm going to keep calling you Mal,"_ Rebecca's voice replied, pretending to be cross with him.

"All right, I concede, Mrs. Merlyn," he replied. "So what was the call for, earlier?"

_"I was just calling you to check in on you, to see how you were,_ " she replied.

"Board meeting: it lasted longer than I expected. The PhiCorp merger went better than I expected," he replied. "But you didn't call to hear about that part."

_"Not really. I just called to say that I love you,"_ her voice replied.

"And I called to see why you called, but it turned into a round of phone tag," he said.

_"Or a case of ships passing in the night,"_ Rebecca's voice replied, something rustling on her end. _"A fancy yacht passing by a family dinghy."_

"And you're the dinghy? You're short-changing yourself: you're a graceful little sloop, pulling up alongside that fancy yacht."

_"You're waxing poetical, Malcolm: what got into you?"_

"Nothing other than a dose of inspiration from the muse who called to tell me that she loves me," he replied. This was why he had married her: because she kept him from getting too wrapped up in the dry affairs of the family business.

_"I gotta run: the car should be coming around soon,"_ her voice replied. _"Don't stay too late at work."_

"I'll be home to meet you," he said, blowing a kiss into the phone. "I'll have a real one for you then."

_"I'll be there to receive it..."_


End file.
